The Dalles City Councilors have decided to ask municipal staff to research grants that would bring in funds to restore and move the historic Gitchell Building on the north side of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks near East 1st and Washington. The City recently received an engineering study showing the 148-year-old building on the National Register of Historic Places is in severe disrepair, with water damage and the possibility of it falling down leaving City officials with liability concerns. It’s also within a railroad right-of-way, and because of that it probably could not be occupied in its current location. Councilor Dan Spatz suggested taking stop gap measures to allow time to research funding sources for repairs and a move of the building. Spatz noted he would like to see the building made into an attraction to bring visitors off of the freeway into downtown The Dalles.